Thursday, February 15, 2007

WHERE WAS DANIEL IN DANIEL 3?

He was certainly high enough in the Babylonian administration to have been summoned to this grand state function. Why is there no mention of Daniel in Daniel 3? The short answer is that no one knows. The writer does not tell us. We can only speculate. Perhaps he was travelling on some important business trip elsewhere in the vast Babylonian empire. Perhaps he was ill and unable to attend the dedication ceremony. The biblical writer does not bother to tell us. His focus lies elsewhere. The focus is not on the faith of Daniel, but on the faith and courage of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. It is not only famous spritual heroes like Daniel that are capable of great courage and faith. Even three otherwise unknown Jewish men are shinning examples of faith and courage.

I wonder how many men and women have stood up quietly but faithfully for God in their offices or in remote areas of the world. Their names may never make it alongside the Billy Grahams and Mother Teresas in our world, but they are known and honoured in the kingdom of heaven. Thank God for the extraordinary courage of these three ordinary Jews. May we b more like them.

(Gordon Wong, Faithful to the End: The Message of Daniel for Life in the Real World [Singapore: Genesis, 2006], 45)

About the author:

Rev. Dr. Gordon Wong is a lecturer in Old Testament and Homiletics at Trinity Theological College, Singapore. Gordon holds a B.A. (Honours) from London School of Theology, and a Ph. D. from the University of Cambridge, England.